January 26, 2015

When People Who Know Better Say Tel Aviv is Israel's Capital

Ellie Geranmayeh, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, is the second observer of international affairs in recent days whose fancy title didn't stop her from misidentifying Tel Aviv as Israel's capital in a leading American newspaper.

Referring to the capitals of Iran, the U.S and Israel, respectively, Geranmayeh writes today in The New York Times ("Political sabotage over a deal with Iran"): "Spoilers have been striking from Tehran, Washington and Tel Aviv." (Emphasis added.)

In The International New York Times, the mischaracterization of Tel Aviv as Israel's capital is highlighted in a pull quote.

Further on in the Op-Ed, Geranmayeh repeats the erroneous reference to Tel Aviv as Israel's capital, stating: "The results of the Israeli elections could deflate Tel Aviv's fierce opposition to current negotiations with Iran."

Earlier this month it was Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, who was also in a position to know exactly where the seat of Israel's government is. Nevertheless, he wrote in a Jan. 15 Op-Ed in The Los Angeles Times ("The Palestinians' decision to join the ICC deserves support"):

In Washington, Ottawa, Paris and London, as well as in Tel Aviv, the response [to the Palestinians' move to join the International Criminal Court] has ranged from discouraging to condemnatory.

Following communication from CAMERA, Los Angeles Times editors commendably published the following correction Jan. 22:

Israel: A Jan 15 OpEd about the Palestinians' move to join the International Criminal Court implied that Tel Aviv is the seat of the Israeli government. The government is based in Jerusalem.

The New York Times itself in the past has previously corrected this point. The Nov. 22, 2002 correction stated:

An article yesterday about a man accused of having tried to hijack an El Al plane en route to Istanbul from Tel Aviv referred incorrectly to Tel Aviv. It is not he capital of Israel; Jerusalem is.

CAMERA has sent a request to Times editors that they again correct.

If Roth and Geranmayeh freely misrepresent a fact as basic as the location of Israel's capital in order to suit their political agendas, what else are the supposed experts on international affairs distorting?

Comments

Prior to 67 some Media also broadcast that Tel Aviv was the Capital or implied so and yes, as you alluded to confusion ensued whereby people began to think Tel Aviv was the Capital of Israel. This matter is no honest mistake but 'lets start slipping under the radar and see how far we can push it'. There is no doubt that each of the participants mentioned wouldn't make a make a mistake like this and not all them in a short time span. This part of the very good disinformation program by the Palestinians and their sympathizers .

Posted by: Jack Holan at January 26, 2015 07:03 AM

Wikipedia states:

"Following the 1967 war, Israel declared that Israeli law would be applied to East Jerusalem and enlarged its eastern boundaries, approximately doubling its size. The action was deemed unlawful by other states who did not recognize it. It was condemned by the UN Security Council and General Assembly who described it as an annexation in violation of the rights of the Palestinian population. In 1980, Israel passed a law declaring that "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel". The law was declared null and void by the Security council in Resolution 478 and in numerous resolutions by the UN General assembly"

Posted by: Chris East at January 29, 2015 04:33 PM

The most infuriating thing for me is that, over the past 47 years, ever since the Six Day War, and the birth of the Palestinian Propaganda Industry thanks to Yasir Arafat and the PLO, there has been zero pushback from Israel to counter the continual lies propagated by the PLO - and especially The Big Lie invented by Arafat himself when he co-opted the true ancient history of Israel and revised it to be the false, manufactured history of an "ancient Palestine on which Palestinians have lived since Time Immemorial."

After looking to make perace with the Arab League following their defeat in 1967, what they got were "the Three 'Nos' of Khartoum" where the League was meeting.

They are still in effect and have never been retracted (nor is there any hope that they will be:

1. NO peace treay with Israel
2. NO direct negotiations with Israel
3. NO recognition of Israel

Israel should have and could have, with the world remaining silent on it, annex Judea and Samaria, aka the "West Bank," and proclaim all of Jerusalem as the ancient and eternal capital of Israel.

Posted by: Ron at January 31, 2015 05:13 PM

Anyone born in any part of Jerusalem - including West Jerusalem - who becomes a naturalized U.S. citizen and applies for and receives a U.S. passport will notice that the "place of birth" entry will be JERUSALEM, not ISRAEL. The official U.S. position is that the status of Jerusalem has not yet been finalized, so it cannot legally regard Jerusalem as being in Israel, let alone Israel's capital.

A case is currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court that will address whether such a passport holder is entitled to have ISRAEL shown as the place of birth. Even if the applicant succeeds, though, the question remains, will the U.S. continue to refuse to recognize Jerusalem as the capital, and, if so, what can Israel do about it anyway?